self search​make it about a personal journey

Have you ever thought to manually establish your default settings? Of course, I don’t mean with your computer, but your personal default settings. Using computer technology a default is "a predesigned value or setting that is used by a computer program when a value or setting is not specified by the program user.” Just the term “predesigned value” makes me uncomfortable. What predesigned values am I relying on?The values (and settings) my parents shared with me as a child have been evaluated and reevaluated, and some reassigned. I’m fairly settled there. Surrounded by the holidays, I explored several traditions. Here I found a rich bed of preset values and settings. We march lockstep through the hallowed halls of the malls – a definite default setting. This is obvious for many, and there is often discussion about how commercial this time of year has become. With this in mind and focus, my family enjoyed a more meaningful holiday season.

As I explored default settings further into everyday foundations, ideas became more camouflaged and convoluted. Is that a predesigned value, a fact, or an assumption? What do I really believe? As an example, I have a staunch believe in health. The way we express ideas through our language imposes certain assumptions, and this is where it gets murky. Is there really a flu season? Do we need to fight cancer, or is it more productive to create health? Battle the bulge? Combat a cold? Do we need military training to maintain health?

I have just tapped the surface examining default settings. It will be an ongoing process, I’m sure. The settings are embedded and maybe some safeguards are needed until all the landmines are detected. Who knows? I am making tactical efforts to manually remove and replace values and settings that do not fit with this mainframe. I’ll keep you posted.

SELF Search

We access the computer more readily than we do ourselves. LOG OFFis primarily about examining personal, authentic thoughts, ideas, and emotions - something a search engine can't do. This is what I'm exploring in the SELF Search Blog. Join me.